This is the aftermath of just one busted bag.
(Photo taken last month.)
Trucks started piling up on Dade Street yesterday, and traffic was a constant flow until late in the evening. The cause? A scramble to get all the two-ton cement bags out of the Port of Fernandina.
The bags are coming up on their due date. They’ve been stored outdoors under lightly secured, wind-whipped tarps since their inauspicious delivery last month, and the number of ruptured bags piled off to one side is growing. There were about 20 under tarps last night.
Rain is in the forecast for Saturday. Failure to get all the bags out of the port today, with more ruptured bags possibly hiding in the remaining stacks, would make cleanup much more difficult and could create runoff into nearby waterways and marshes. A visual inspection from a viewpoint outside the port indicated that about 30-40% of bags remained at 9:15 p.m., and truck traffic had subsided.
The few port officials who could be reached had no comment. One port commissioner who could be reached, Danny Fullwood, was unaware of the situation and said he would investigate. Jeff Hymas, an official at Savage Services headquarters vowed that his firm (the new port operator) is committed to running a clean operation and transparency with the community.
Another reason why my wife and I decided not to buy on Amelia Island was bad decisions made by the political administration by allowing cement and fertilizer to be stored on the island in such a unsecured manner. That and the thought of considering to have cruise ships dock on the island port. I see total destruction of paradise on Amelia Island in a year or so if more of this is considered to proceed.
There will be no cruise ships or fertilizer. Learn the facts.
You are sooo right!!!
Wow. Somehow our property values have skyrocketed and people are scrambling to move to our island despite a few missteps. How ever will we survive without you Conrad?
How is it that Mr. Fullwood is always “unaware” of what is happening at the Port where is is the chairman of the commission that oversees our Port?
I was aware that the cement was being removed, but not aware that it was causing a “mess” (his opinion) as explained to me by Mr. Phillips.
Mr. Fullwood — were you asleep at the table at the last two OHPA commission meetings? Have you not looked at the photos forwarded to you and the other commissioners by many of your constituents and also published in the Observer and the News Leader? The cement “mess” at the port is well documented and a serious problem. Wake up!
trucks are still queueing up today…. lots of traffic
Non-stop queuing of semi trucks second day in a row, creating dangerous driving conditions. Vehicles must drive on the wrong side of the road for the entirety of Dade into on-coming traffic, to go around the trucks.
Zero visibility from side streets when leaving the neighborhood, and very dangerous for St. Michael’s carpooler families.
The operator stated they were “unaware that all these trucks were coming.” What?? Then who the heck scheduled them and who is running this show?
Seems this port is just in the wrong place. The city has changed since 1941. The types of cargo that worked then don’t work now. The only modal transportation is truck and rail, but they pass through the heart of the modern city creating problems all around. Can a balance be found or should the port relocate?
Is port growth a problem for the city or is city growth a problem for the port? Many years ago much of the downtown area was populated by working class people who could walk to their jobs at the port or either of the mills. Now that we’ve attracted retirees and an upper middle class to the area, the status quo seems to be no longer desirable.
Stop hiding behind your keyboard. Are you not man enough to post your name. I will find out and sue you for slander.
Ugh.